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Mulet-Lazaro R, Delwel R. Oncogenic Enhancers in Leukemia. Blood Cancer Discov 2024; 5:303-317. [PMID: 39093124 PMCID: PMC11369600 DOI: 10.1158/2643-3230.bcd-23-0211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Although the study of leukemogenesis has traditionally focused on protein-coding genes, the role of enhancer dysregulation is becoming increasingly recognized. The advent of high-throughput sequencing, together with a better understanding of enhancer biology, has revealed how various genetic and epigenetic lesions produce oncogenic enhancers that drive transformation. These aberrations include translocations that lead to enhancer hijacking, point mutations that modulate enhancer activity, and copy number alterations that modify enhancer dosage. In this review, we describe these mechanisms in the context of leukemia and discuss potential therapeutic avenues to target these regulatory elements. Significance: Large-scale sequencing projects have uncovered recurrent gene mutations in leukemia, but the picture remains incomplete: some patients harbor no such aberrations, whereas others carry only a few that are insufficient to bring about transformation on their own. One of the missing pieces is enhancer dysfunction, which only recently has emerged as a critical driver of leukemogenesis. Knowledge of the various mechanisms of enhancer dysregulation is thus key for a complete understanding of leukemia and its causes, as well as the development of targeted therapies in the era of precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Mulet-Lazaro
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Ruud Delwel
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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2
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de Smith AJ, Jiménez-Morales S, Mejía-Aranguré JM. The genetic risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its implications for children of Latin American origin. Front Oncol 2024; 13:1299355. [PMID: 38264740 PMCID: PMC10805326 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1299355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children, and disproportionately affects children of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity in the United States, who have the highest incidence of disease compared with other racial/ethnic groups. Incidence of childhood ALL is similarly high in several Latin American countries, notably in Mexico, and of concern is the rising incidence of childhood ALL in some Hispanic/Latino populations that may further widen this disparity. Prior studies have implicated common germline genetic variants in the increased risk of ALL among Hispanic/Latino children. In this review, we describe the known disparities in ALL incidence as well as patient outcomes that disproportionately affect Hispanic/Latino children across the Americas, and we focus on the role of genetic variation as well as Indigenous American ancestry in the etiology of these disparities. Finally, we discuss future avenues of research to further our understanding of the causes of the disparities in ALL incidence and outcomes in children of Latin American origin, which will be required for future precision prevention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. de Smith
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Silvia Jiménez-Morales
- Laboratorio de Innovación y Medicina de Precisión, Núcleo A, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Juan Manuel Mejía-Aranguré
- Laboratorio de Genómica Funcional del Cáncer, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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3
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Jeon S, Lo YC, Morimoto LM, Metayer C, Ma X, Wiemels JL, de Smith AJ, Chiang CWK. Evaluating genomic polygenic risk scores for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Latinos. HGG ADVANCES 2023; 4:100239. [PMID: 37710962 PMCID: PMC10550840 DOI: 10.1016/j.xhgg.2023.100239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The utility of polygenic risk score (PRS) models has not been comprehensively evaluated for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of cancer in children. Previous PRS models for ALL were based on significant loci observed in genome-wide association studies (GWASs), even though genomic PRS models have been shown to improve prediction performance for a number of complex diseases. In the United States, Latino (LAT) children have the highest risk of ALL, but the transferability of PRS models to LAT children has not been studied. In this study, we constructed and evaluated genomic PRS models based on either non-Latino White (NLW) GWAS or a multi-ancestry GWAS. We found that the best PRS models performed similarly between held-out NLW and LAT samples (PseudoR2 = 0.086 ± 0.023 in NLW vs. 0.060 ± 0.020 in LAT), and can be improved for LAT if we performed GWAS in LAT-only (PseudoR2 = 0.116 ± 0.026) or multi-ancestry samples (PseudoR2 = 0.131 ± 0.025). However, the best genomic models currently do not have better prediction accuracy than a conventional model using all known ALL-associated loci in the literature (PseudoR2 = 0.166 ± 0.025), which includes loci from GWAS populations that we could not access to train genomic PRS models. Our results suggest that larger and more inclusive GWASs may be needed for genomic PRS to be useful for ALL. Moreover, the comparable performance between populations may suggest a more oligogenic architecture for ALL, where some large effect loci may be shared between populations. Future PRS models that move away from the infinite causal loci assumption may further improve PRS for ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoung Jeon
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ying Chu Lo
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Libby M Morimoto
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Metayer
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Xiaomei Ma
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Joseph L Wiemels
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Adam J de Smith
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Charleston W K Chiang
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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4
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Liu H, Zhou Y, Chen Y, Wang Q, Zhang H, Xu Y. Treatment outcomes of neuroendoscopic and microscopic trans-sphenoidal pituitary adenomectomies and the effects on hormone levels. Minerva Surg 2023; 78:518-524. [PMID: 36951674 DOI: 10.23736/s2724-5691.23.09779-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We aimed to compare the treatment outcomes of neuroendoscopic and microscopic trans-sphenoidal pituitary adenomectomies, as well as the effects on hormone levels and clinical symptoms. METHODS A total of 82 patients with pituitary adenomas that were surgically resected from June 2018 to March 2021 were selected and divided into a group receiving neuroendoscopic trans-sphenoidal pituitary adenomectomy (group A, N.=40), and the other group receiving microscopic surgery (group B, N.=42). Surgery-related indices, hormone levels before discharge and alleviation of symptoms 24 weeks after surgery were compared. RESULTS Both groups had significantly different degrees of tumor resection (P<0.05). The proportion of cases receiving total adenomectomy in group A significantly exceeded that of group B (P<0.05). The surgical time of group A was significantly longer than that of group B (P<0.05). Group A had significantly shorter mean hospitalization stay than that of group B (P<0.05). The postoperative hormone levels of both groups decreased significantly differently (P<0.05). Before discharge, the hormone recovery rate of group A significantly surpassed that of group B (P<0.05). The hormone levels of cases with prolactinoma, adrenocorticotropic hormone adenoma and growth hormone adenoma in group A dropped more significantly than those of group B did (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Compared with microscopic surgery, neuroendoscopic trans-sphenoidal pituitary adenomectomy worked more effectively, induced fewer postoperative complications and better promoted the postoperative recovery of hormone levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Liu
- Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Qianqian Wang
- Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Huasheng Zhang
- Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Yifan Xu
- Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China -
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5
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Jeon S, Lo YC, Morimoto LM, Metayer C, Ma X, Wiemels JL, de Smith AJ, Chiang CW. Evaluating Genomic Polygenic Risk Scores for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Latinos. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.06.08.23291167. [PMID: 37398036 PMCID: PMC10312899 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.08.23291167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
The utility of polygenic risk score (PRS) models has not been comprehensively evaluated for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of cancer in children. Previous PRS models for ALL were based on significant loci observed in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), even though genomic PRS models have been shown to improve prediction performance for a number of complex diseases. In the United States, Latino (LAT) children have the highest risk of ALL, but the transferability of PRS models to LAT children has not been studied. In this study we constructed and evaluated genomic PRS models based on either non-Latino white (NLW) GWAS or a multi-ancestry GWAS. We found that the best PRS models performed similarly between held-out NLW and LAT samples (PseudoR 2 = 0.086 ± 0.023 in NLW vs. 0.060 ± 0.020 in LAT), and can be improved for LAT if we performed GWAS in LAT-only (PseudoR 2 = 0.116 ± 0.026) or multi-ancestry samples (PseudoR 2 = 0.131 ± 0.025). However, the best genomic models currently do not have better prediction accuracy than a conventional model using all known ALL-associated loci in the literature (PseudoR 2 = 0.166 ± 0.025), which includes loci from GWAS populations that we could not access to train genomic PRS models. Our results suggest that larger and more inclusive GWAS may be needed for genomic PRS to be useful for ALL. Moreover, the comparable performance between populations may suggest a more oligo-genic architecture for ALL, where some large effect loci may be shared between populations. Future PRS models that move away from the infinite causal loci assumption may further improve PRS for ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoung Jeon
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ying Chu Lo
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Libby M. Morimoto
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Metayer
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Xiaomei Ma
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Joseph L. Wiemels
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Adam J. de Smith
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Charleston W.K. Chiang
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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6
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Panuciak K, Nowicka E, Mastalerczyk A, Zawitkowska J, Niedźwiecki M, Lejman M. Overview on Aneuploidy in Childhood B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108764. [PMID: 37240110 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent years have brought significant progress in the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This was influenced by both the improved schemes of conventionally used therapy, as well as the development of new forms of treatment. As a consequence, 5-year survival rates have increased and now exceed 90% in pediatric patients. For this reason, it would seem that everything has already been explored in the context of ALL. However, delving into its pathogenesis at the molecular level shows that there are many variations that still need to be analyzed in more detail. One of them is aneuploidy, which is among the most common genetic changes in B-cell ALL. It includes both hyperdiploidy and hypodiploidy. Knowledge of the genetic background is important already at the time of diagnosis, because the first of these forms of aneuploidy is characterized by a good prognosis, in contrast to the second, which is in favor of an unfavorable course. In our work, we will focus on summarizing the current state of knowledge on aneuploidy, along with an indication of all the consequences that may be correlated with it in the context of the treatment of patients with B-cell ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinga Panuciak
- Student Scientific Society, Independent Laboratory of Genetic Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Emilia Nowicka
- Student Scientific Society, Independent Laboratory of Genetic Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Angelika Mastalerczyk
- Student Scientific Society, Independent Laboratory of Genetic Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Joanna Zawitkowska
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Transplantology, Medical University of Lublin, Gębali 6, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Maciej Niedźwiecki
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 7, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Monika Lejman
- Independent Laboratory of Genetic Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
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7
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Haas OA, Borkhardt A. Hyperdiploidy: the longest known, most prevalent, and most enigmatic form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children. Leukemia 2022; 36:2769-2783. [PMID: 36266323 PMCID: PMC9712104 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01720-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Hyperdiploidy is the largest genetic entity B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children. The diagnostic hallmark of its two variants that will be discussed in detail herein is a chromosome count between 52 and 67, respectively. The classical HD form consists of heterozygous di-, tri-, and tetrasomies, whereas the nonclassical one (usually viewed as "duplicated hyperhaploid") contains only disomies and tetrasomies. Despite their apparently different clinical behavior, we show that these two sub-forms can in principle be produced by the same chromosomal maldistribution mechanism. Moreover, their respective array, gene expression, and mutation patterns also indicate that they are biologically more similar than hitherto appreciated. Even though in-depth analyses of the genomic intricacies of classical HD leukemias are indispensable for the elucidation of the disease process, the ensuing results play at present surprisingly little role in treatment stratification, a fact that can be attributed to the overall good prognoses and low relapse rates of the concerned patients and, consequently, their excellent treatment outcome. Irrespective of this underutilization, however, the detailed genetic characterization of HD leukemias may, especially in planned treatment reduction trials, eventually become important for further treatment stratification, patient management, and the clinical elucidation of outcome data. It should therefore become an integral part of all upcoming treatment studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oskar A Haas
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Pediatric Clinic, Medical University, Vienna, Austria.
- Labdia Labordiagnostik, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Arndt Borkhardt
- Department for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partnering site Essen/Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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8
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Xu K, Li S, Pandey P, Kang AY, Morimoto LM, Mancuso N, Ma X, Metayer C, Wiemels JL, de Smith AJ. Investigating DNA methylation as a mediator of genetic risk in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:3741-3756. [PMID: 35717575 PMCID: PMC9616572 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies have identified a growing number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), yet the functional roles of most SNPs are unclear. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that epigenetic mechanisms may mediate the impact of heritable genetic variation on phenotypes. Here, we investigated whether DNA methylation mediates the effect of genetic risk loci for childhood ALL. We performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) including 808 childhood ALL cases and 919 controls from California-based studies using neonatal blood DNA. For differentially methylated CpG positions (DMPs), we next conducted association analysis with 23 known ALL risk SNPs followed by causal mediation analyses addressing the significant SNP-DMP pairs. DNA methylation at CpG cg01139861, in the promoter region of IKZF1, mediated the effects of the intronic IKZF1 risk SNP rs78396808, with the average causal mediation effect (ACME) explaining ~30% of the total effect (ACME P = 0.0031). In analyses stratified by self-reported race/ethnicity, the mediation effect was only significant in Latinos, explaining ~41% of the total effect of rs78396808 on ALL risk (ACME P = 0.0037). Conditional analyses confirmed the presence of at least three independent genetic risk loci for childhood ALL at IKZF1, with rs78396808 unique to non-European populations. We also demonstrated that the most significant DMP in the EWAS, CpG cg13344587 at gene ARID5B (P = 8.61 × 10-10), was entirely confounded by the ARID5B ALL risk SNP rs7090445. Our findings provide new insights into the functional pathways of ALL risk SNPs and the DNA methylation differences associated with risk of childhood ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keren Xu
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Shaobo Li
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Priyatama Pandey
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Alice Y Kang
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | - Libby M Morimoto
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | - Nicholas Mancuso
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Xiaomei Ma
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Catherine Metayer
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | - Joseph L Wiemels
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Adam J de Smith
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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9
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Alsheikh AJ, Wollenhaupt S, King EA, Reeb J, Ghosh S, Stolzenburg LR, Tamim S, Lazar J, Davis JW, Jacob HJ. The landscape of GWAS validation; systematic review identifying 309 validated non-coding variants across 130 human diseases. BMC Med Genomics 2022; 15:74. [PMID: 35365203 PMCID: PMC8973751 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-022-01216-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The remarkable growth of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has created a critical need to experimentally validate the disease-associated variants, 90% of which involve non-coding variants. Methods To determine how the field is addressing this urgent need, we performed a comprehensive literature review identifying 36,676 articles. These were reduced to 1454 articles through a set of filters using natural language processing and ontology-based text-mining. This was followed by manual curation and cross-referencing against the GWAS catalog, yielding a final set of 286 articles. Results We identified 309 experimentally validated non-coding GWAS variants, regulating 252 genes across 130 human disease traits. These variants covered a variety of regulatory mechanisms. Interestingly, 70% (215/309) acted through cis-regulatory elements, with the remaining through promoters (22%, 70/309) or non-coding RNAs (8%, 24/309). Several validation approaches were utilized in these studies, including gene expression (n = 272), transcription factor binding (n = 175), reporter assays (n = 171), in vivo models (n = 104), genome editing (n = 96) and chromatin interaction (n = 33). Conclusions This review of the literature is the first to systematically evaluate the status and the landscape of experimentation being used to validate non-coding GWAS-identified variants. Our results clearly underscore the multifaceted approach needed for experimental validation, have practical implications on variant prioritization and considerations of target gene nomination. While the field has a long way to go to validate the thousands of GWAS associations, we show that progress is being made and provide exemplars of validation studies covering a wide variety of mechanisms, target genes, and disease areas. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12920-022-01216-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar J Alsheikh
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA.
| | - Sabrina Wollenhaupt
- Information Research, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, 67061, Knollstrasse, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Emily A King
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Jonas Reeb
- Information Research, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, 67061, Knollstrasse, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Sujana Ghosh
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | | | - Saleh Tamim
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Jozef Lazar
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - J Wade Davis
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Howard J Jacob
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
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10
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Kachuri L, Jeon S, DeWan AT, Metayer C, Ma X, Witte JS, Chiang CWK, Wiemels JL, de Smith AJ. Genetic determinants of blood-cell traits influence susceptibility to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Am J Hum Genet 2021; 108:1823-1835. [PMID: 34469753 PMCID: PMC8546033 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Despite overlap between genetic risk loci for ALL and hematologic traits, the etiological relevance of dysregulated blood-cell homeostasis remains unclear. We investigated this question in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of childhood ALL (2,666 affected individuals, 60,272 control individuals) and a multi-trait GWAS of nine blood-cell indices in the UK Biobank. We identified 3,000 blood-cell-trait-associated (p < 5.0 × 10-8) variants, explaining 4.0% to 23.9% of trait variation and including 115 loci associated with blood-cell ratios (LMR, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio; NLR, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; PLR, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio). ALL susceptibility was genetically correlated with lymphocyte counts (rg = 0.088, p = 4.0 × 10-4) and PLR (rg = -0.072, p = 0.0017). In Mendelian randomization analyses, genetically predicted increase in lymphocyte counts was associated with increased ALL risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16, p = 0.031) and strengthened after accounting for other cell types (OR = 1.43, p = 8.8 × 10-4). We observed positive associations with increasing LMR (OR = 1.22, p = 0.0017) and inverse effects for NLR (OR = 0.67, p = 3.1 × 10-4) and PLR (OR = 0.80, p = 0.002). Our study shows that a genetically induced shift toward higher lymphocyte counts, overall and in relation to monocytes, neutrophils, and platelets, confers an increased susceptibility to childhood ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Kachuri
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Soyoung Jeon
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Andrew T DeWan
- Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Catherine Metayer
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Xiaomei Ma
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - John S Witte
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Charleston W K Chiang
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Joseph L Wiemels
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Adam J de Smith
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
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11
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Liu X, Huang L, Huang K, Yang L, Yang X, Luo A, Cai M, Wu X, Liu X, Yan Y, Wen J, Cai Y, Xu L, Jiang H. Novel Associations Between METTL3 Gene Polymorphisms and Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Five-Center Case-Control Study. Front Oncol 2021; 11:635251. [PMID: 34568001 PMCID: PMC8459019 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.635251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To reveal the contributing role of METTL3 gene SNPs in pediatric ALL risk. Patients and Methods A total of 808 pediatric ALL cases and 1,340 cancer-free controls from five hospitals in South China were recruited. A case-control study by genotyping three SNPs in the METTL3 gene was conducted. Genomic DNA was abstracted from peripheral blood. Three SNPs (rs1263801 C>G, rs1139130 A>G, and rs1061027 A>C) in the METTL3 gene were chosen to be detected by taqman real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. Results That rs1263801 C>G, rs1139130 A>G, and rs1061027 A>C polymorphisms were significantly associated with increased pediatric ALL risk was identified. In stratification analyses, it was discovered that rs1263801 CC, rs1061027 AA, and rs1139130 GG carriers were more likely to develop ALL in subgroups of common B-ALL, MLL gene fusion. Rs1263801 CC and rs10610257 AA carriers were more possible to increase the risk of ALL in subgroups of low hyperdiploid, and all of these three SNPs exhibited a trend toward the risk of ALL. All of these three polymorphisms were associated with the primitive/naïve lymphocytes and MRD in marrow after chemotherapy in ALL children. Rs1263801 CC and rs1139130 AA alleles provided a protective effect on MRD ≥0.01% among CCCG-treated children. As for rs1139130, AA alleles provided a protective effect on MRD in marrow ≥0.01% on 33 days and 12 weeks among CCCG-treated children, but provided a risk effect on MRD in the marrow ≥0.01% among SCCLG-treated children. As for rs1263801 CC and rs1139130 AA, these two alleles provided a protective effect on MRD in the marrow ≥0.01% among CCCG-treated children. Conclusion In this study, we revealed that METTL3 gene polymorphisms were associated with increased pediatric ALL risk and indicated that METTL3 gene polymorphisms might be a potential biomarker for choosing ALL chemotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Liu
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Libin Huang
- Pediatrics Department, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ke Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lihua Yang
- Pediatric Center of Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xu Yang
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ailing Luo
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mansi Cai
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuedong Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaodan Liu
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yaping Yan
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianyun Wen
- Department of Pediatrics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yun Cai
- Department of Pediatrics, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ling Xu
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hua Jiang
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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12
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Guo H, Li N, Sun Y, Wu C, Deng H, Xu L, Yang X. MYBL2 Gene Polymorphism Is Associated With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Susceptibility in Children. Front Oncol 2021; 11:734588. [PMID: 34568071 PMCID: PMC8456030 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.734588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Although MYBL2 had been validated to participate in multiple cancers including leukemia, the role of MYBL2 polymorphisms in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was still not clear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between MYBL2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and ALL risk in children. Methods A total of 687 pediatric ALL cases and 971 cancer-free controls from two hospitals in South China were recruited. A case-control study by genotyping three SNPs in the MYBL2 gene (rs285162 C>T, rs285207 A>C, and rs2070235 A>G) was conducted. The associations were assessed by odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup and stratification analyses were conducted to explore the association of rs285207 with ALL risk in terms of age, sex, immunophenotype, risk level, and other clinical characteristics. The false-positive report probability (FPRP) analysis was performed to verify each significant finding. Functional analysis in silico was used to evaluate the probability that rs285207 might influence the regulation of MYBL2 . Results Our study demonstrated that rs285207 was related to a decreased ALL risk (adjusted OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.63-0.97, P = 0.022) in the dominant model. The associations of rs285207 with ALL risk appeared stronger in patients with pre B ALL (adjusted OR=0.56; 95% CI=0.38-0.84, P=0.004), with normal diploid (adjusted OR=0.73; 95% CI=0.57-0.95, P=0.017), with low risk (adjusted OR=0.68; 95% CI=0.49-0.94, P=0.021), with lower WBC (adjusted OR=0.62; 95% CI=0.43-0.87, P=0.007) or lower platelet level (adjusted OR=0.76; 95% CI=0.59-0.96, P=0.023). With FPRP analysis, the significant association between the rs285207 polymorphism and decreased ALL risk was still noteworthy (FPRP=0.128). Functional analysis showed that IKZF1 bound to DNA motif overlapping rs285207 and had a higher preference for the risk allele A. As for rs285162 C>T and rs2070235 A>G, no significant was found between them and ALL risk. Conclusion In this study, we revealed that rs285207 polymorphism decreased the ALL risk in children, and rs285207 might alter the binding to IKZF1, which indicated that the MYBL2 gene polymorphism might be a potential biomarker of childhood ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Guo
- Department of Pediatrics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Na Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yaping Sun
- Institute of Systems Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China.,Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Cuiling Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huixia Deng
- Department of Pediatrics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ling Xu
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xu Yang
- Department of Hematology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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13
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Kasprzyk ME, Sura W, Dzikiewicz-Krawczyk A. Enhancing B-Cell Malignancies-On Repurposing Enhancer Activity towards Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:3270. [PMID: 34210001 PMCID: PMC8269369 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13133270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
B-cell lymphomas and leukemias derive from B cells at various stages of maturation and are the 6th most common cancer-related cause of death. While the role of several oncogenes and tumor suppressors in the pathogenesis of B-cell neoplasms was established, recent research indicated the involvement of non-coding, regulatory sequences. Enhancers are DNA elements controlling gene expression in a cell type- and developmental stage-specific manner. They ensure proper differentiation and maturation of B cells, resulting in production of high affinity antibodies. However, the activity of enhancers can be redirected, setting B cells on the path towards cancer. In this review we discuss different mechanisms through which enhancers are exploited in malignant B cells, from the well-studied translocations juxtaposing oncogenes to immunoglobulin loci, through enhancer dysregulation by sequence variants and mutations, to enhancer hijacking by viruses. We also highlight the potential of therapeutic targeting of enhancers as a direction for future investigation.
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14
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Tseng CC, Wong MC, Liao WT, Chen CJ, Lee SC, Yen JH, Chang SJ. Genetic Variants in Transcription Factor Binding Sites in Humans: Triggered by Natural Selection and Triggers of Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22084187. [PMID: 33919522 PMCID: PMC8073710 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22084187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Variants of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) constitute an important part of the human genome. Current evidence demonstrates close links between nucleotides within TFBSs and gene expression. There are multiple pathways through which genomic sequences located in TFBSs regulate gene expression, and recent genome-wide association studies have shown the biological significance of TFBS variation in human phenotypes. However, numerous challenges remain in the study of TFBS polymorphisms. This article aims to cover the current state of understanding as regards the genomic features of TFBSs and TFBS variants; the mechanisms through which TFBS variants regulate gene expression; the approaches to studying the effects of nucleotide changes that create or disrupt TFBSs; the challenges faced in studies of TFBS sequence variations; the effects of natural selection on collections of TFBSs; in addition to the insights gained from the study of TFBS alleles related to gout, its associated comorbidities (increased body mass index, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, hyperuricemia, osteoporosis, and prostate cancer), and the treatment responses of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Chun Tseng
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (J.-H.Y.)
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
| | - Man-Chun Wong
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
| | - Wei-Ting Liao
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (W.-T.L.); (S.-J.C.); Tel.: +886-7-3121101 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5916679 (S.-J.C.); Fax:+886-7-3125339 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5919264 (S.-J.C.)
| | - Chung-Jen Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung 80145, Taiwan;
| | - Su-Chen Lee
- Laboratory Diagnosis of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
| | - Jeng-Hsien Yen
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (J.-H.Y.)
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao-Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Jen Chang
- Department of Kinesiology, Health and Leisure Studies, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 81148, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (W.-T.L.); (S.-J.C.); Tel.: +886-7-3121101 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5916679 (S.-J.C.); Fax:+886-7-3125339 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5919264 (S.-J.C.)
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15
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Enhancer polymorphisms at the IKZF1 susceptibility locus for acute lymphoblastic leukemia impact B-cell proliferation and differentiation in both Down syndrome and non-Down syndrome genetic backgrounds. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0244863. [PMID: 33411777 PMCID: PMC7790404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Children with Down syndrome have an approximately 10-fold increased risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia and this risk is influenced by inherited genetic variation. Genome-wide association studies have identified IKZF1 as a strong acute lymphoblastic leukemia susceptibility locus in children both with and without Down syndrome, with association signals reported at rs4132601 in non-Down syndrome and rs58923657 in individuals with Down syndrome (r2 = 0.98 for these two loci). Expression quantitative trait locus analysis in non-Down syndrome lymphoblastoid cell lines has demonstrated an association between the rs4132601 risk allele and decreased IKZF1 mRNA levels. In this study, we provide further mechanistic evidence linking the region encompassing IKZF1-associated polymorphisms to pro-leukemogenic effects in both human lymphoblastoid cell lines and murine hematopoietic stem cells. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of the region encompassing the rs17133807 major allele (r2 with rs58923657 = 0.97) resulted in significant reduction of IKZF1 mRNA levels in lymphoblastoid cell lines, with a greater effect in Down syndrome versus non-Down syndrome cells. Since rs17133807 is highly conserved in mammals, we also evaluated the orthologous murine locus at rs263378223, in hematopoietic stem cells from the Dp16(1)Yey mouse model of Down syndrome as well as non-Down syndrome control mice. Homozygous deletion of the region encompassing rs263378223 resulted in significantly reduced Ikzf1 mRNA, confirming that this polymorphism maps to a strong murine Ikzf1 enhancer, and resulted in increased B-lymphoid colony growth and decreased B-lineage differentiation. Our results suggest that both the region encompassing rs17133807 and its conserved orthologous mouse locus have functional effects that may mediate increased leukemia susceptibility in both the Down syndrome and non-Down syndrome genetic backgrounds.
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16
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Suzuki A, Guerrini MM, Yamamoto K. Functional genomics of autoimmune diseases. Ann Rheum Dis 2021; 80:689-697. [PMID: 33408079 DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
For more than a decade, genome-wide association studies have been applied to autoimmune diseases and have expanded our understanding on the pathogeneses. Genetic risk factors associated with diseases and traits are essentially causative. However, elucidation of the biological mechanism of disease from genetic factors is challenging. In fact, it is difficult to identify the causal variant among multiple variants located on the same haplotype or linkage disequilibrium block and thus the responsible biological genes remain elusive. Recently, multiple studies have revealed that the majority of risk variants locate in the non-coding region of the genome and they are the most likely to regulate gene expression such as quantitative trait loci. Enhancer, promoter and long non-coding RNA appear to be the main target mechanisms of the risk variants. In this review, we discuss functional genetics to challenge these puzzles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akari Suzuki
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Matteo Maurizio Guerrini
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Yamamoto
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
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17
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Lupo PJ, Spector LG. Cancer Progress and Priorities: Childhood Cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020; 29:1081-1094. [DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-19-0941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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18
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Semmes EC, Vijayakrishnan J, Zhang C, Hurst JH, Houlston RS, Walsh KM. Leveraging Genome and Phenome-Wide Association Studies to Investigate Genetic Risk of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020; 29:1606-1614. [PMID: 32467347 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-20-0113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of childhood cancers remain limited, highlighting the need for novel analytic strategies. We describe a hybrid GWAS and phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) approach to uncover genotype-phenotype relationships and candidate risk loci, applying it to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). METHODS PheWAS was performed for 12 ALL SNPs identified by prior GWAS and two control SNP-sets using UK Biobank data. PheWAS-traits significantly associated with ALL SNPs compared with control SNPs were assessed for association with ALL risk (959 cases, 2,624 controls) using polygenic score and Mendelian randomization analyses. Trait-associated SNPs were tested for association with ALL risk in single-SNP analyses, with replication in an independent case-control dataset (1,618 cases, 9,409 controls). RESULTS Platelet count was the trait most enriched for association with known ALL risk loci. A polygenic score for platelet count (223 SNPs) was not associated with ALL risk (P = 0.82) and Mendelian randomization did not suggest a causal relationship. However, twelve platelet count-associated SNPs were nominally associated with ALL risk in COG data and three were replicated in UK data (rs10058074, rs210142, rs2836441). CONCLUSIONS In our hybrid GWAS-PheWAS approach, we identify pleiotropic genetic variation contributing to ALL risk and platelet count. Three SNPs known to influence platelet count were reproducibly associated with ALL risk, implicating genomic regions containing IRF1, proapoptotic protein BAK1, and ERG in platelet production and leukemogenesis. IMPACT Incorporating PheWAS data into association studies can leverage genetic pleiotropy to identify cancer risk loci, highlighting the utility of our novel approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor C Semmes
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Children's Health and Discovery Initiative, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Jayaram Vijayakrishnan
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Chenan Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Jillian H Hurst
- Children's Health and Discovery Initiative, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Richard S Houlston
- Division of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Kyle M Walsh
- Children's Health and Discovery Initiative, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. .,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.,Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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19
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Brown AL, de Smith AJ, Gant VU, Yang W, Scheurer ME, Walsh KM, Chernus JM, Kallsen NA, Peyton SA, Davies GE, Ehli EA, Winick N, Heerema NA, Carroll AJ, Borowitz MJ, Wood BL, Carroll WL, Raetz EA, Feingold E, Devidas M, Barcellos LF, Hansen HM, Morimoto L, Kang AY, Smirnov I, Healy J, Laverdière C, Sinnett D, Taub JW, Birch JM, Thompson P, Spector LG, Pombo-de-Oliveira MS, DeWan AT, Mullighan CG, Hunger SP, Pui CH, Loh ML, Zwick ME, Metayer C, Ma X, Mueller BA, Sherman SL, Wiemels JL, Relling MV, Yang JJ, Lupo PJ, Rabin KR. Inherited genetic susceptibility to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Down syndrome. Blood 2019; 134:1227-1237. [PMID: 31350265 PMCID: PMC6788009 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2018890764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a 20-fold increased risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and distinct somatic features, including CRLF2 rearrangement in ∼50% of cases; however, the role of inherited genetic variation in DS-ALL susceptibility is unknown. We report the first genome-wide association study of DS-ALL, comprising a meta-analysis of 4 independent studies, with 542 DS-ALL cases and 1192 DS controls. We identified 4 susceptibility loci at genome-wide significance: rs58923657 near IKZF1 (odds ratio [OR], 2.02; Pmeta = 5.32 × 10-15), rs3731249 in CDKN2A (OR, 3.63; Pmeta = 3.91 × 10-10), rs7090445 in ARID5B (OR, 1.60; Pmeta = 8.44 × 10-9), and rs3781093 in GATA3 (OR, 1.73; Pmeta = 2.89 × 10-8). We performed DS-ALL vs non-DS ALL case-case analyses, comparing risk allele frequencies at these and other established susceptibility loci (BMI1, PIP4K2A, and CEBPE) and found significant association with DS status for CDKN2A (OR, 1.58; Pmeta = 4.1 × 10-4). This association was maintained in separate regression models, both adjusting for and stratifying on CRLF2 overexpression and other molecular subgroups, indicating an increased penetrance of CDKN2A risk alleles in children with DS. Finally, we investigated functional significance of the IKZF1 risk locus, and demonstrated mapping to a B-cell super-enhancer, and risk allele association with decreased enhancer activity and differential protein binding. IKZF1 knockdown resulted in significantly higher proliferation in DS than non-DS lymphoblastoid cell lines. Our findings demonstrate a higher penetrance of the CDKN2A risk locus in DS and serve as a basis for further biological insights into DS-ALL etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin L Brown
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Adam J de Smith
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Vincent U Gant
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Wenjian Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Michael E Scheurer
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Kyle M Walsh
- Division of Neuro-epidemiology, Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Jonathan M Chernus
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | | | | | | | - Erik A Ehli
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Sioux Falls, SD
| | - Naomi Winick
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Nyla A Heerema
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Andrew J Carroll
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Michael J Borowitz
- Department of Pathology and
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD;
| | - Brent L Wood
- Department of Pathology and
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA
| | - William L Carroll
- Department of Pediatrics, Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Elizabeth A Raetz
- Department of Pediatrics, Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Eleanor Feingold
- Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Meenakshi Devidas
- Department of Biostatistics, College of Medicine, Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Lisa F Barcellos
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Helen M Hansen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Libby Morimoto
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Alice Y Kang
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Ivan Smirnov
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Jasmine Healy
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Sainte-Justine University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Caroline Laverdière
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Sainte-Justine University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daniel Sinnett
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Sainte-Justine University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jeffrey W Taub
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
| | - Jillian M Birch
- Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Pamela Thompson
- Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Logan G Spector
- Division of Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | | | - Andrew T DeWan
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | | | - Stephen P Hunger
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ching-Hon Pui
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Mignon L Loh
- Department of Pediatrics, Benioff Children's Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Michael E Zwick
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA; and
| | - Catherine Metayer
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
| | - Xiaomei Ma
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Beth A Mueller
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
| | | | - Joseph L Wiemels
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Mary V Relling
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Jun J Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Philip J Lupo
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Karen R Rabin
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
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20
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de Smith AJ, Lavoie G, Walsh KM, Aujla S, Evans E, Hansen HM, Smirnov I, Kang AY, Zenker M, Ceremsak JJ, Stieglitz E, Muskens IS, Roberts W, McKean-Cowdin R, Metayer C, Roux PP, Wiemels JL. Predisposing germline mutations in high hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2019; 58:723-730. [PMID: 31102422 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.22765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
High hyperdiploidy (HD) is the most common cytogenetic subtype of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and a higher incidence of HD has been reported in ALL patients with congenital cancer syndromes. We assessed the frequency of predisposing germline mutations in 57 HD-ALL patients from the California Childhood Leukemia Study via targeted sequencing of cancer-relevant genes. Three out of 57 patients (5.3%) harbored confirmed germline mutations that were likely causal, in NBN, ETV6, and FLT3, with an additional six patients (10.5%) harboring putative predisposing mutations that were rare in unselected individuals (<0.01% allele frequency in the Exome Aggregation Consortium, ExAC) and predicted functional (scaled CADD score ≥ 20) in known or potential ALL predisposition genes (SH2B3, CREBBP, PMS2, MLL, ABL1, and MYH9). Three additional patients carried rare and predicted damaging germline mutations in GAB2, a known activator of the ERK/MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways and binding partner of PTPN11-encoded SHP2. The frequency of rare and predicted functional germline GAB2 mutations was significantly higher in our patients (2.6%) than in ExAC (0.28%, P = 4.4 × 10-3 ), an observation that was replicated in ALL patients from the TARGET project (P = .034). We cloned patient GAB2 mutations and expressed mutant proteins in HEK293 cells and found that frameshift mutation P621fs led to reduced SHP2 binding and ERK1/2 phosphorylation but significantly increased AKT phosphorylation, suggesting possible RAS-independent leukemogenic effects. Our results support a significant contribution of rare, high penetrance germline mutations to HD-ALL etiology, and pinpoint GAB2 as a putative novel ALL predisposition gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J de Smith
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Geneviève Lavoie
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kyle M Walsh
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California.,Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Children's Health and Discovery Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Sumeet Aujla
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Erica Evans
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Helen M Hansen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Ivan Smirnov
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Alice Y Kang
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
| | - Martin Zenker
- University Hospital Magdeburg, Institute of Human Genetics, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - John J Ceremsak
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Elliot Stieglitz
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Ivo S Muskens
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
| | - William Roberts
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California.,Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Roberta McKean-Cowdin
- Department of Preventive Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
| | - Catherine Metayer
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
| | - Philippe P Roux
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Joseph L Wiemels
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
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21
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Hormann FM, Hoogkamer AQ, Beverloo HB, Boeree A, Dingjan I, Wattel MM, Stam RW, Escherich G, Pieters R, den Boer ML, Boer JM. NUTM1 is a recurrent fusion gene partner in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia associated with increased expression of genes on chromosome band 10p12.31-12.2. Haematologica 2019; 104:e455-e459. [PMID: 30872366 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2018.206961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Femke M Hormann
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Alex Q Hoogkamer
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - H Berna Beverloo
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Aurélie Boeree
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Ilse Dingjan
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Moniek M Wattel
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ronald W Stam
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Gabriele Escherich
- COALL - German Cooperative Study Group for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rob Pieters
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,DCOG - Dutch Childhood Oncology Group, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Monique L den Boer
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,DCOG - Dutch Childhood Oncology Group, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Erasmus Medical Center - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Judith M Boer
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands .,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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